Beyond the Pale Brewing Company is hosting a screening of Straight Up: The Issue of Alcohol in Ontario at the Orange Gallery on Thursay, August 29. Tickets are on sale at the brewery on EventBrite for $25.00 (plus fees) - beverages and snacks included!
We’ve travelled all over the world, and we are fans of good wine and especially tasty craft beers. We came to make this documentary with a lot of the same simple questions that many people have about the alcoholic beverage retailing system in Ontario. Why does it seem like there are a lot of products we see elsewhere that you simply can’t get in Ontario? Why is the same product in Ontario often so much more expensive than just across the border in New York or Michigan, or even Quebec? Why can’t we open a craft beer store of our own? Why does the Ontario government allow three foreign-owned companies to operate a near monopoly on 80% of the beer sales in the province?
As it turns out, none of the questions have simple answers. When we started digging into the issue, we found that Ontario has a unique history with regard to beverage alcohol regulation. It’s a touchy subject with a lot of people. Unlike France or California, where their wines are proudly consumed domestically and exported around the world as a cultural product as much as a beverage, in Ontario, the government preoccupation seems to be “control”. The market is also subject to a lot of restrictive and seemingly arbitrary rules emanating from multiple pieces of legislation and old government institutions. The retail environment is dominated by two entities: the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), and Brewer’s Retail Inc, or The Beer Store.
Too late for me. I am a Homebrewer, been one for many years. I got fed up over 20 years ago since I vacationed in Florida and quickly realized how bad our beer retail system is. Now I don't have to put up with it. All of my beer comes from me. Tons of labour but worth every second of scrubbing beer equipment. And the best part is............Tax Free. The Ontario gov't loses tax revenue ( They don't deserve it IMO ) and certainly those arrogant foreign owners of the Beer Store should have to compete in a free marketplace just like everyone else. The only way to go is to make your own beer, sit back and enjoy a tax free beverage with no minimum pricing and happy hour is 24/7.
Posted by: KingReign | Monday, August 25, 2014 at 12:32 PM